The present disclosure relates to systems and methods which form groups of people or devices, and in particular to groups of riders and/or groups of recreational vehicle riders
Recreational vehicles, such as motorcycles, or off-road vehicles such as all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and snowmobiles, are widely used for recreational purposes. These vehicles might be used on both roads and trails, or only on trails. Various systems have been developed to assist riders of recreational vehicles understand the various terrain, points of interest, and status of roads and trails. Exemplary systems are disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/190,369, titled RECREATIONAL VEHICLE INTERACTIVE, TELEMETRY, MAPPING, AND TRIP PLANNING SYSTEM, filed Feb. 26, 2014 and PCT Patent Application No. PCT/US2014/018638, titled RECREATIONAL VEHICLE INTERACTIVE, TELEMETRY, MAPPING, AND TRIP PLANNING SYSTEM, filed Feb. 26, 2014. These applications further mention the tracking of the location of others.
With the proliferation of smartphones and other mobile devices, various programs executable on these mobile devices permit determining the location of other mobile devices associated with people stored in contacts in the mobile device. These location sharing programs for mobile devices struggle with the use case of allowing groups of individuals to quickly share their location with and among each other without lots of prior setup.
The present application discloses systems and methods to permit groups of recreational vehicle riders and others the ability to quickly create and join groups without prior knowledge of the contact information of everyone in the group. In one embodiment, groups are joinable based on the proximity information of the prospective member and the current group members.
The overall advantage for the disclosed systems and methods is to enable a safer and more intelligent riding experience. Most riding takes place in groups and knowing where all individuals are in the group, as well as, if they become stuck, broken down or lost can not only improve the quality of the ride experience, but also ensure safety for all members of the group.
In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of facilitating usage of recreational vehicles is provided. The method comprising the steps of receiving a request from a first computing device to create a first user group; the first computing device being associated with a location of a first recreational vehicle, the first computing device also being associated with the first user group; receiving a request from a second computing device being associated with a location of a second recreational vehicle to identify at least one available user group for the second computing device; and determining whether the second computing device may join the first user group based on a proximity distance of the location of the second recreational vehicle to the location of the first recreational vehicle being within a proximity range of the first user group.
In one example of the method, the second computing device may join the first user group. The method further comprising the steps of associating the second computing device with the first user group; tracking the location of the first recreational vehicle; and tracking the location of the second recreational vehicle. In a variation thereof, the method further comprises the steps of transmitting the location of the first recreational vehicle to the second recreational vehicle; and transmitting the location of the second recreational vehicle to the first recreational vehicle. In another variation thereof, the method further comprises the steps of displaying on the first computing device a first icon type representing the location of the second recreational vehicle; and displaying on the first computing device a second icon type representing a location of a third recreational vehicle. The third recreational vehicle not being associated with the first user group. The first icon type being limited to recreational vehicles which are associated with the first user group.
In another example of the method, the method further comprises the steps of sequentially setting a privacy flag of the first user group to closed; receiving a request from a third computing device being associated with a location of a third recreational vehicle to identify at least one available user group for the third computing device; and determining that the first user group is an unavailable group based on the privacy flag of the first user group even though the location of the third recreational vehicle is within the proximity range of the first user group.
In yet another example of the method, the method further comprises the steps of sequentially receiving an indication from each computing device of the first user group that the first user group is to be closed; and setting a privacy flag of the first user group to closed. In a variation of thereof, the method further comprises the subsequent steps of receiving an indication from any one of the computing devices of the first user group that the first user group is to be open; and setting the privacy flag of the first user group to open.
In another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a recreational vehicle connectable to a group management master controller through at least one network is provided. The recreational vehicle comprising a plurality of ground engaging members; a frame supported by the plurality of ground engaging members; a power system operatively coupled to at least one of the plurality of ground engaging members; at least one sensor coupled to monitor at least one characteristic of the power system; seating supported by the frame; at least one controller supported by the frame, the at least one controller being operatively coupled to the at least one sensor; at least one display positioned forward of the seating, the display being operatively coupled to the at least one controller to receive an indication of the at least one characteristic of the power system for display on the at least one display; at least one input device operatively coupled to the at least one controller and rider actuatable to provide input to the at least one controller; a location determiner supported by the frame, the location determiner determining a current location associated with the recreational vehicle; a network controller supported by the frame, the network controller adapted to communicate with the group management master controller through the at least one network; and a group management controller supported by the frame. The group management controller being operatively coupled to the network controller to communicate with the group management master controller. In response to a first rider input, the group management controller is configured to send a request to the group management master controller to identify at least one available user group for the recreational vehicle and to receive from the group management master controller a listing of at least one available user groups based on the current location associated with the recreational vehicle.
In one example, in response to a second rider input, the group management controller is configured to send a request to the group management master controller to include the recreational vehicle in a first available user group. In a variation thereof, the group management controller is configured to receive a current location for each recreational vehicle in the first available user group and to provide an indication of the current location for each recreational vehicle in the first available user group for display on the at least one display.
In another example, at least two of the at least one controller, the location determiner, the network controller, and the group management controller are an integrated device.
In a further example, the at least one display and the at least one input device are part of an integrated user interface device. In a variation thereof, the user interface device includes at least one operator interface controller being operatively coupled to the at least one controller to receive an indication of the at least one characteristic of the power system for display on the at least one display. In a further variation thereof, the interface controller and at least one of the location determiner, the network controller, and the group management controller are an integrated device.
In a further exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a system is provided. The system comprising a plurality of recreational vehicles, a plurality of group management controllers, and a group management master controller. Each recreational vehicle comprising a plurality of ground engaging members; a frame supported by the plurality of ground engaging members; a power system operatively coupled to at least one of the plurality of ground engaging members; at least one sensor supported by the frame and coupled to the power system to monitor at least one characteristic of the power system; seating supported by the frame; at least one controller supported by the frame, the at least one controller being operatively coupled to the at least one sensor; and a user interface supported by the frame. The user interface including at least one display having an at least one associated display controller. The at least one display positioned forward of the seating. The at least one display controller operatively coupled to the at least one controller to receive an indication of the at least one characteristic of the power system for display on the at least one display. Each group management controller being associated with a respective recreational vehicle and each group management controller receives an indication of a location of the respective recreational vehicle. The group management master controller operatively coupled to each of the group management controllers. The group management master controller being configured to associate at least two of the plurality of recreational vehicles in a first user group based on requests received from the group management controllers associated with the at least two recreational vehicles and based on the locations of the at least two recreational vehicles.
In an example, the group management master controller is configured to send to each of the at least two recreational vehicles in the first user group the locations of the remaining at least two recreational vehicles in the first user group. In a variation thereof, each of the at least two recreational vehicles in the first user group display on the at least one display the locations of the at least two recreational vehicles in the first user group.
In another example, a first recreational vehicle of the plurality of recreational vehicles includes a first group management controller. The first group management controller is supported by the frame of the first recreational vehicle during movement of the first recreational vehicle. In a variation thereof, the first group management controller is integrated into the user interface of the first recreational vehicle. In another variation thereof, the first group management controller is integrated into the at least one controller of the first recreational vehicle. In another variation thereof, the first group management controller is integrated into a portable rider computing device supported by the rider during movement of the first recreational vehicle. In yet another variation, the system further comprises a plurality of location determiners. Each location determiner being associated with a respective recreational vehicle and supported by the frame of the recreational vehicle during movement of the respective recreational vehicle. Each location determiner is configured to determine the location of the respective recreational vehicle.
Additional features of the present invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed descriptions of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.